In this paper, we present the design, fabrication and evaluation of a soft wearable robotic glove, which can be used with functional Magnetic Resonance imaging (fMRI) during the hand rehabilitation and task specific training. The soft wearable robotic glove, called MR-Glove, consists of two major components: a) a set of soft pneumatic actuators and b) a glove. The soft pneumatic actuators, which are made of silicone elastomers, generate bending motion and actuate finger joints upon pressurization. The device is MR-compatible as it contains no ferromagnetic materials and operates pneumatically. Our results show that the device did not cause artifacts to fMRI images during hand rehabilitation and task-specific exercises. This study demonstrated the possibility of using fMRI and MR-compatible soft wearable robotic device to study brain activities and motor performances during hand rehabilitation, and to unravel the functional effects of rehabilitation robotics on brain stimulation.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Otitis media with effusion is a prevalent condition affecting people of all age groups worldwide. When medication fails, a surgical procedure called myringotomy is done and a ventilation tube (grommet) is inserted. A novel all-in-one device that allows office-based myringotomy was conceptualized and realized, but there exists constraints with respect to contact sensing. This paper will discuss the challenges with contact sensing within the confines of the ear canal in the context of the applicator. A capacitive sensing approach is then proposed to circumvent these difficulties and experimental results are furnished to show the relative performance of capacitive sensing over force sensing for contact detection.